Earth Angel
by JadziaVu
Summary: The incessant internal ticking of a biological clock is a difficult thing to ignore, even if you are a sadistic mass-murdering Clown Princess of Crime: The rather tragic love story behind Harley Quinn's precious babies, Bud and Lou. (A Harley/Joker Fanfic)
1. Serendipity

**Warning: Contains spoilers for 'Harleen' and 'Mad Empire'**

**The Joker: Health Ledger**

**Harley Quinn: Kristen Bell**

**Poison Ivy: Christina Hendricks**

**Joey Asaro: Vin Diesel**

**Sean Rider: Scott Grimes**

**I also appologize ahead of time for making anyone cry, I cried while writing it... (:**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"You alright, Sugar?" The Joker asked and Harley looked up from her plate of food where she had been pushing around a piece of scarcely consumed $75 filet mignon, "Somethin' wrong with your steak?"

She shook her head with a half-hearted grin and he returned his attention to his plate. Glancing around the large banquet hall, she placed her hands between her thighs and cringed when his knife scraped the bottom of his plate with a spine-spitting shriek. The silence could be unbearable in this huge old building and she often longed for the pitter patter sound of little feet while silly songs about the alphabet played on the television in the living area of the foyer. She was thirty-three and had been number two on the _Gotham City Most Wanted List_ for four years now, but she still didn't see why she and her criminal boyfriend, who was number one, couldn't raise a tiny prodigy of their own. That is, other than the obvious complication his vasectomy presented, of course, but there was always 'adoption'; meaning they would obtain a child through a less than legal or socially desirable means. 'Kidnapping' was the word used most commonly. It was a sensitive topic, however, and after many a heated debate, she had painfully resigned to the idea that she would never be a mother.

"Harley," he addressed her again, interrupting her sorrowful mental process. She looked at him and he winked at her, wiping his mouth with the expensive dinner napkin, "What's cookin' good lookin'?"

She sighed and placed a palm to her head, "I think I'm getting sick", she fibbed, "Maybe I'll go see Ivy today and see if she has anything I can take for it."

He leaned back in his seat and belched low in his chest, "Alight, Joey's off today, so get Sean to take you. How long you gonna be gone?"

"Miss me when I'm gone?", she teased with a smile.

He reached across the table to fake-punch her jaw gently, "Something like that."

She rose from her seat and walked around to kiss him on the head, "Mkay, I'll be back in a few hours, Puddin'", she started for the door into the foyer and called back to him, "You can have the rest of my steak, if you want it."

"Ugh, I'm full as a dog tick on a fat hound", he moaned, staring down at the red meat. After a few moments he sighed and pulled the plate in front of him, picking up the fork, "You win this round, you cheeky little fucker."

As the black Cadillac pulled onto the abandoned lot of Ivy's massive greenhouse, Harley could see her redheaded friend walking from her front door in the direction of her bicycle, pausing to wave with a smile as the vehicle approached. Her fiery hair was concealed beneath a green scarf and she wore a pair of large white sunglasses. Harley thought she resembled a much more voluptuous version of Audrey Hepburn in her white two-piece pant suit. She walked the back passenger-side door and leaned into the open window.

"Well hello there, stranger. Wait, don't I know you?" she teased with a smile.

"Where you headed, Red?", Harley giggled internally at her own corny joke.

Ivy smirked, "The nursery."

Harley's smile faded slightly. She had sought solace at her friend's house in order to distract her busy mind from her troubles, but they seemed to be following close behind her today, nipping sharply at her custom leather boot covered heels.

Her friend lowered her sunglasses, revealing the concerned and nurturing emerald eyes beneath, "What's wrong, Sweetie?"

The blonde shook her head slightly and feigned a smile, "Nothing, hop in!", her eco-terrorist friend grumbled, "Oh come on, Pammy, it's carpooling! We're still saving the Earth, ya know."

Ivy grinned with a roll of her bright eyes and replaced her shades, pulling the car door open to slide inside next to Harley.

"That's a pretty suit", she mentioned to her, "Did Louis make you that?"

"Yeah, it's one of my 'plain' ones, you know, to avoid attracting too much unwanted attention in public."

The material was a single shade of deep crimson, rather than her usual red and black theme with the embroidered diamonds, but the general pattern was the same; a white button up blouse with short ruffled sleeves covered by a feminine vest and tucked into a pair of expertly sewn slacks. Although both women were dressed incognito, they would need to be constantly wary of their surroundings in order to avoid being spotted. It normally wasn't an issue, the people of Gotham were typically too consumed with their own pathetic existences to notice a pair of cleverly costumed criminals in their midst. Harley hadn't planned on being in public, but she kept a black fedora and pair of shades in the front passenger seat of the Cadillac for just this kind of situation.

"Sean, can you hand me my things, please?" she called to the driver who obliged with a smile.

The street next to the plant nursery was thick with heavy traffic and wandering consumers, mingling and glistening with a thin layer of sweat in the heat of the morning sun. It would be bedtime for the women soon, but Harley felt that a few leisurely errands would be just what she needed to clear her mind. Sean parallel parked the black car into a lucky spot just in front of the vending lot and waited patiently in the cool air conditioning, reading a news paper as the women ambled amongst the greenery. After a few minutes of cruising the tables overflowing with potted plants, the two friends became separated and distracted in their own exploration within the large clear tent. Harley was just beginning to feel light-hearted again when she happened to glance up arbitrarily and notice a tiny blonde girl in a white dress wandering precariously close to the busy street full of bustling cars on the opposite side of the road. She scanned the sidewalk quickly, hoping to find her mother who would be dashing to the scene to rescue her child, but no one came. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as she watched the girl take another step toward the traffic and her breath caught in her throat. The child took another brave step, and before she knew what was happening, Harley was sprinting in her direction completely oblivious to the oncoming vehicles who were screeching their tires and honking their horns.

A large Ford pickup truck was speeding down the same lane of traffic in which the girl was now standing, frozen in fear. She was too small for the driver to see, and just seconds before he reached her point in the road, a short blond woman in a dark red suit dashed quickly in front of his bumper, snatching a small child up from the pavement. He slammed his foot onto the brake and laid on the horn with his heart suddenly pounding in his ears, but by absolute miracle, they had dipped just behind a parked car in the street at the exact moment his vehicle went skidding by on its locked tires. Unfortunately, the three cars behind him had not had time enough to react and there was a loud commotion of screaming angry drivers and pointing on-lookers after the cars slammed into one another in the street.

Harley was panting hard as she stared at the scene in wide-eyed disbelieve, she had almost killed herself. Becoming suddenly aware of the small pair of arms which clung tightly around her neck, she turned her head slowly to meet the gaze of a pair of enormous, beautiful, brown eyes. The child was not crying, she only stared back into Harley's blue eyes as the tiny fingers of one hand began to twirl softly within her long blonde hair.

"Excuse me, uh, Princess!" Ivy called from across the street, holding a pair of potted plants, "I don't think it would be in our best interest to linger, it might attract the paparazzi!"

She disappeared into the Cadillac and Harley quickly checked the street before dashing across and sliding in next her to her friend.

"What is that?" she heard Ivy ask her while Sean pulled the car from the curb.

The blonde was remained in shock from the recent events and had neglected to notice that she still carried the little girl in her arms.

"Oh", she responded, "I-she was going to get hit-I couldn't just let her-um."

"Harley, you have to put it outside. You can't keep it."

"She's a little girl, Red, not an 'it'."

"Whatever, you still can't keep _her_. She doesn't belong to you and you know how your boyfriend feels about raising children."

The girl laid her head onto Harley's shoulder and her heart skipped a beat, "I can't just leave her outside the car. Her so-called mother didn't even notice she was wandering into the street, I doubt she has even realized she's missing."

Ivy sighed and her stern face relaxed into one of sincere sympathy, "Harley, Honey, I know you've wanted a child of your own for some time now, but you cannot afford to view this unfortunate coincidence as some kind of divine sign. You have to give her back."

"Give her back to whom?", she almost shouted with impatience, "I tell you what, if you can point out her sorry excuse for a mother to me, I'll gladly hand her over. "

The child whined at the sound of her rising volume and Harley quickly rubbed her back with a soothing palm, "No, no, shhh, it's okay. I didn't mean to yell."

Her friend tilted her head and observed her seemingly innate maternal tendencies with the child that did not even share her own DNA. A small smile spread across her face and she released another sigh, shaking her head.

"How old do you think it, uh, she is?", she asked.

Neither of them had shared even so much as a table at dinner with any child younger than about fifteen, so it was difficult to tell, but Harley imagined she must not be much older than two. Her fine strands were a pale blonde color, much the same as Harley's, and her large brown eyes were dark and knowing, much like The Joker's. A small headband rested atop her fair crown and her white dress bore a few yellow and pink smudges of what looked like unsuccessfully washed finger paint. As Harley scanned her features, the girl stared back up at her with an expressionless gaze, but her dark eyes soon lit up as her pink cherub-like cheeks lifted into an adoring smile.

"Would you like me to drop you back at your place, Ms. Ivy?" Sean asked from the front seat as he drove.

"No", Ivy answered, "I have a feeling I'll need to provide my witness testimonial to a royally perturbed Clown Prince."


	2. Kid Tested, Mother Approved

The Joker was relaxing on the couch in the living area of the foyer while an obscure old western played on the television. He was doodling schematics for a new detonator onto a pad of paper, legs propped onto the furniture when he heard the door beneath the stairs open.

"Welcome home, Baby", he greeted with a smile as he sat up, "You feelin' any-", he stopped abruptly when he noticed the small blonde toddler clinging to his girlfriend's neck.

Standing quickly from the couch, he threw his pad down, "That had better be a long lost second cousin of The Plant's in town for a visit", he warned her with an index finger.

The couple stared each other down as the henchman, Joey, appeared behind them at the door.

"What you doin' here?" Sean whispered to him.

"I forgot somethin'. What's goin' on?"

"Ms. Quinn brought home a kid."

Joey's face dropped, "Oh shit."

"Joker," Ivy intervened calmly, "I was there and I can assure you, Harley never planned or intended on taking this child."

"Was I talkin' to you, Plant?" he spat at her.

"It's true, Puddin', she was walking into the street. I couldn't stand by and let her get hit", Harley responded.

"The hell you couldn't!", he sneered with an infuriated expression and stormed into the Cigar Lounge on his long legs, "Harley, get your ass in here!"

She rolled her eyes and handed the small girl over to Ivy who took her begrudgingly and held her in the air away from her body with an awkward look. The child stared into her green eyes for a moment before turning her lip under in a pout while her brown eyes filled with tears.

"Uh, Harley, I don't-"

"-Come and see Joey, Little One", the henchman cooed in his low voice and she went to him gladly, sucking delicately on the tip of her tiny index finger. He noticed the women's shocked stares and shrugged, "I got nieces."

Harley took the girl's small hand and kissed the back of it with a smile, "I'll be back in just a little while", and the toddler gave her a shy smile, burying her face into Joey's neck as they walked into the theater.

The short blonde turned and walked bravely into her bedroom where she found her incensed boyfriend pacing back and forth, clenching his fists. She entered the room and closed the door behind her. He walked quickly in her direction and she opened her mouth to speak, but was shortly cut off with the back of his hand across her face.

Her head was forced to turn and he gripped her arm hard in his long fingers, "Now, I know you're not stupid, so why the fuck would you go and do something so completely asinine? Where the fuck was your goddamn head, Harley?"

She turned her head slowly to look at him with a glare and attempted to speak softly, "I understand why you don't want to allow yourself to love another child, really I do-."

"-You don't know shit!"

"But I think if you just gave yourself the opportunity-"

"-What? That I'd fall in love with her and forget all about the son I lost? Is that it?" he screamed in her face.

"You can't keep punishing me for something I had nothing to do with!" she yelled back.

He hesitated and finally released his grip, running his hand through is hair with a frustrated sigh, "Harley, you gotta think of the kid. What kind of life do you think we can provide for her, huh? Not to mention you kidnapped her, which gives us zero rights. What if The Bat finds out? He'll take her away and there won't be a goddamn thing you or I can do about it."

Harley's heart sank in her chest and he began pacing again, "We talked about this to the point of exhaustion, damnit, I can't believe you did this!"

"It's not like you can get me pregnant, and we can't adopt, this is our only option!"

He stopped in front of her and leaned down to her level so their eyes were on the same plane, "We-are-criminals-Harley", he emphasized each word, "She'll never ever have the happy life she deserves if she stays with us. Did you even consider what would happen to her if you end up thrown back in Arkham? What if we get tossed in together, who's gonna take care of her, huh?"

"Joey's good with her, he could-"

"-He's a blood thirsty henchman, Harley, not a fucking pacifier."

Her chest was beginning to heave and she fought the burning in her throat while he continued, "We lead dangerous lives, what if we were killed? I be goddamned if I bring a kid into this godforsaken world or take one under my care just so they can end up in some fucking shithole of a group foster home like I was raised in. You have no idea what those fucking places are like!"

She raised her hands in front of her in an attempt to calm his increasingly hot temper, "Okay, Puddin', I understand your frustration, but what is done is done. I wouldn't know where to take her even if I wanted to, her mother was completely absent from the scene where I rescued her. No one was looking out for her and she was almost hit by a truck."

"Then you should have let her get hit!"

"I couldn't do that!"

"Since when are you so damn soft? I've seen you kill men for blowing their noses too loud when you have a headache!"

"She's just a little girl, it's different!"

He reached into this pocket and pulled out a switchblade, flicking it open, "Either you take her back or I'll take care of her."

She gasped, "You wouldn't dare!"

"Wouldn't I?"

He attempted to walk past her, but in an angry fit, which she still maintains till this day was completely driven by maternal instinct, she shot out a fist and caught him in the lip, sending his head flying back as he staggered. She spun in the air and her leg kicked the knife free from his hand just before she brought the opposite knee up into his groin. His spine flexed forward with a loud groan and he fell to his knees, clutching his crotch with both hands as the nausea rose up hot in his gut.

"What…he hell… is wrong with you, woman?" he sputtered hoarsely.

She grabbed a tuft of his hair and yanked his face up to meet with hers. He yelped with a grimace and tried to slap her again, but she dodged it and pulled harder, "If you don't want to be her father, that's just fine, but you are _not_ going to stop me from becoming her mother."

She threw his head forward and kicked it hard with the tip of her boot. He struggled in pain for a moment before lying unconscious on the carpeted floor and she turned on her heels to fetch her daughter.

**['I Can't Help (falling in love with you)' – Ingrid Michelson version]**

Two days passed in the greenhouse and Harley sat on the hemp pillow bed with her blonde child, reading a story while Ivy prepared a raw vegan meal from her garden for them to share. Harley pulled slowly at the bandaid on her daughter's shoulder; attempting to remove it without hurting her while she was distracted with her book. It had been difficult for her to watch the young girl cry as Ivy stuck her with the needle, injecting the necessary anti-venom which would allow her to exist in the toxic environment of her home, but now she would be immune to all poisons, so it had been well worth it. She had just finished pulling off the last of the sticky edge when there was a soft knock at the door. Ivy and Harley shared a glanced and the redhead rolled her eyes as she walked to the door. The Joker stood on the other side, holding a small clown doll against his chest with a grin.

"Well, look who went soft", Ivy snickered, and Harley rushed to the door.

His lip was healing with a scab over the area she had laid open with her fist, and there was a large black and blue bruise on his forehead.

"I came to bring my girls home", he said softly and she leapt into his arms, kissing his face all over while he laughed at her.

A tiny girl appeared behind Ivy's legs and wrapped her small arms around one of them, staring up at him with huge brown eyes. Harley noticed him looking down at her and stepped aside so he could kneel in front of her, holding the doll in front of his scared face with a smile. She returned his grin, hiding her chubby face shyly against her aunt's leg and he chuckled at her.

"Hey there, Little Princess", he spoke softly, "Baby Harlequin wants you to come out and play."

The toddler turned her head to face him with a keen smile and reached out her delicate hand to grab the clown doll, pulling it in to her chest; it was nearly as big as she. Walking toward her mother, she lifted her arms and Harley picked her up, placing her onto her hip.

"This is your Daddy", she whispered into her ear before looking at The Joker, "Her name is Angel."

"Angel", he repeated with a smile, eyes still locked onto her brown ones as he stood, "What a pretty name."

"Earth Angel Quinn."

He scrunched his face at his girlfriend, "Earth?"

"That would be my doing", Ivy chuckled behind him and he shook his head.

"I should have known."

"Here, Daddy", Harley said, handing Angel over to him, "I'll get our things."

"Uh, oh, okay", he took her nervously and she stared up at him, hugging her new doll against her head.

"What made you change your mind?" he heard Ivy ask with a smile.

He raised an eyebrow at her, "Come on, Plant, you know I can't say no to her."

"She kicked your ass didn't she?"

"Beat the shit outta me."

Ivy laughed and walked inside to help her friend pack the suitcase. The Joker shared another long stare with his new brown-eyed daughter and she finally broke the awkward silence with another contagious smile.

"Well, Little Princess, I guess we'll go wait for Mommy in the car, huh?", he mentioned and started for the vehicle.

Angel's smile faded suddenly and she let out a discontented whine, pointing her small finger toward the greenhouse with an under-turned lip.

"Okay, alright", he responded, stepping quickly back toward the building, "I guess we'll wait here for her."

Harley appeared in the door, carrying her bag, and Angel immediately extended her small arms at her. She took her in her and kissed her soft crown lovingly, "Ready to go home, Precious? Say bye-bye to Aunt Ivy."

The Joker picked up the suitcase while Ivy kissed the child's hand and he gave her a sly grin, "Who's soft now… _Aunt Ivy_?"

The redhead turned with a grinning glare and walked back to her door, "Later, Papa Clown."

Joey stepped out to take the bag from his boss and place it into the trunk while he climbed into the back next to his family. Harley was powering on a small portable television for Angel, who was sitting comfortably in her lap, arms held tightly around her harlequin doll. The title opening for 'The Lion King' started on the screen as the car pulled down the drive, and her mother pressed the 'skip' button a few times.

"You don't wanna watch it from the beginning?" her father asked.

"She likes the hyenas", she explained as their daughter began to clap and giggle sweetly at the cackling beasts on the screen, "It's the only part she really cares about watching. She also prefers Scar over Simba."

He raised his eyebrows with a smile, "Does she? Well, maybe it was fate after all", he whispered, kissing Harley and laying an arm around her in the seat.


	3. Lullabies and Duct Tape

"Earth Angel, Earth Angel…will you be mine…my darling dear…love you all the time…I'm just a fool…a fool in love with you…"

The Joker leaned into the wood of the doorframe, crossing his arms in his chest with a smug grin as he watched Harley sing to Angel in their bed. He had never heard her sing before and didn't realize she possessed such a talent; he likened her soothing vocals to that of Ella Fitzgerald.

"…Earth Angel, Earth Angel…the one I adore…love you forever…and ever more…I'm just a fool…a fool in love with you…"

Angel was rubbing her eyes with the back of her tiny fists, hugging her harlequin dolly close to her under the covers while her mother sang her sweetly to sleep.

"…I feel for you…and I knew…the vision of your lov-lovliness…I hope and I pray…that someday…I'll be the vision of your…hap-hapiness…"

Her heavy eyes were drooping lower with each phrase and her rosy cheeks raised slightly as she grinned.

"…Earth Angel, Earth Angel…will you be mine…my darling dear…love you all the time…I'm just a fool…a fool…in…love…with you…"

Harley's sweet voice trailed off, ending the song just as her daughter slipped deeply into dreamland. She kissed her head and brushed the blonde hair softly across her forehead before sitting up to turn and face the door, just now noticing her boyfriend.

"I didn't know you could sing", he whispered.

"You never asked", she replied quietly, "Want me to sing you to sleep, too?"

He chuckled and shook his head, walking over to grab a pillow from his side of the bed.

"Where are you going?" she asked in a concerned tone.

"I'll sleep in one of the rooms downstairs until she gets use to the place. Plus, I kick, remember?"

She smiled at him, "You don't have to do that. She sleeps very soundly."

"Not with a strange man in her bed."

"You're not a strange man, you're her Father", his face changed subtly, but she could read him like an open book with enlarged font, "Oh my god, you still won't let yourself love her, will you?"

"I just need time, alright? It's only been two days, you gonna tell me you love her already?"

"Yes", she answered without hesitation, "like I carried her inside me for nine months."

"Baby, that's great and I'm glad you're finally happy", he assured her, trying to keep his voice down in their argument as he walked back to her side of the bed and kissed her on the head, "but I'm afraid it's just gonna take more time than that for me." He looked down at the sleeping Angel and grinned, "She's a cutie pie, though, maybe it won't take very long."

Harley smiled at him again and watched him exit the room, closing the door quietly behind him to head downstairs and find a less than comfortable bed. He couldn't shake the feeling that this entire ordeal was still a terrible mistake that would end very badly and with plenty of heartache, but his strong-minded girlfriend had given him an ultimatum when she rendered him unconscious with the toe of her boot: she was now a package deal, and if he wanted her, he'd have to take Angel with her. His reluctantcy to growing attached to the child had much more to do with the fact that he secretly expected that they would not be able to keep her, but of course, he would never tell Harley that. It might hurt her too much.

Hours later, The Joker jolted awake and swung his fist out in the dark, knuckles aching as he made contact with something hard at his waist level.

"Ow! Jeezus!" Harley yelped from under the covers.

"Harley?" he asked hazily, "The hell are you doing?"

She poked her head up through the sheets, rubbing the side of her head, "Well, I_ was_ going to wake you up with a blowjob, but now I just want to go take an Advil."

"You know better than that shit", he scolded her hoarsely.

"I know, I know; no sneaking. Ouch."

He reached under the small lamp next to the twin-sized bed located in one of the old dressing rooms beneath the stage, and clicked on the dim light.

"Where'd I get you?" he asked, squinting.

"Right in my head. Was that your fist?"

"Mhmm, sure beats the hell out of a pointed boot, trust me", he retorted.

She chuckled at him, "Lesson number one about Moms: never threaten their babies."

"Got it. Learned it. I'm good", he cleared his throat, "Do I still get a reward for being a good student?"

"Nope", she teased and tried to get up to leave.

"Hey!" he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her back on top of him, "I _want_ my reward…Doc."

So, they were going to play 'Arkham Asylum' tonight. Alright, she'd play along.

"Release me this instant, Mr. Joker! This is completely unprofessional", she demanded in her very best Dr. Quinzel impersonation.

He gripped her wrist tighter and grabbed her by the throat, "Or you'll what?"

"I'll scream! I'll scream and they'll come running!", she whined in feigned terror.

"Not if I kill you first", he sneered, lust growing in his dark eyes.

He shifted his weight and threw her back onto the bed, pinning her beneath his weight.

"Wait, where are we? On the therapy couch?" she asked, breaking character for a moment.

"My cell."

"Well, you're going to have to do a better job keeping me quiet if you don't want the guards or orderlies to hear. You're in the high profile hall, remember?"

He reached next to the bed and magically retrieved a roll of duct tape with a keen grin.

"No, not duct tape!" ,she protested, "That shit hurts when you pull it off!"

She squirmed beneath him and could feel his arousal between their clothes as he quickly pulled a piece off the roll.

"I said no, goddamnit!" she yelled and tried to struggle away from him, but he held her head to the pillow and placed the tape firmly over her mouth as she screamed muffled and genuinely angry profanities up at him.

He then grabbed hold of each of her wrists and bound them together with a thick layer of concentric taping while she thrashed and made attempts to yell underneath him. Tossing the roll of tape aside with a sinister smile, her grabbed her bound wrists and held them above her head, looking down into her displeased stare.

"It's your own stupid fault for coming into my cell alone, Doc", he continued with the game, "You should have known how badly I've wanted to fuck you. Normally I'm not a raping man, too much work. But, you see, they keep us locked in these glass fishbowls for the world to see in whenever it wants, watching us while we shower with a group of other sex-deprived dudes. There's absolutely no way to relieve the tension in privacy. Some of the guys go ahead and rub one out in their cells, but I just can't focus with security guards and orderlies gocking in at me. Months and months of sexual energy pent up inside me while I sit day after day with a beautiful and unbelievably sexy little blonde who I can't even touch; now that is just cruel and unusual punishment."

Her anger was fizzling beneath her own rapidly growing arousal as he spoke. She wondered if Dr. Quinzel had ever felt this excited or if she had any secretly suppressed sexual frustrations built up while she treated this incredibly desirable man for six months. The thought almost made her jealous, but she reminded herself that he had only ever had sex with her from the very beginning, and she immediately felt better. It had been she who had taken over the very first night in Harleen's bed when the fool had refused to act on the physical contact she knew she desired. It had been her again the following evening on the couch, and again on the bed, and so on…each memory only further pushed her over the edge and her every fiber was soon screaming for him. In her reminiscing thoughts, she hadn't realized that he had ruthlessly torn her pajama pants down her legs and was now hastily unfastening the buckle of his own belt as he hovered over her with malicious eyes. Remembering her part, she began struggling and faking muffled pleas for mercy while he still held her bound hands above her head with his other hand.

"Don't take it so personally, Doc", he teased darkly, finally freeing himself from his restrictions and settling between her thighs, "You snuck into _my_ cell, so I can only assume that means you must have wanted something from me. Remember what it was?" With his question, he pushed roughly into her and she moaned beneath her duct tape as her eyes rolled in their sockets.

"What's that, Doc? I didn't hear you", he asked with another harsh thrust that made her spine tingle while she continued to moan louder.

His hips began to rock to a violently hard rhythm and her back arched at the sensation of her already quickly approaching climax.

"You know what I think you need, Doc?", he leaned forward and whispered into her ear, hips still moving, "I think you need to cum, and I think you need me to make you do it. Am I right?"

She moaned again and shook her head in her character's protest.

"No?", he toyed, "well, you're just sendin' me mixed signals now, Doc. If you don't want it…", her climax was just on the verge of release, and he knew it, "…then-why-are-you-so-wet?"

He crashed into her with each word and electricity coursed through her like lightening through a metal rod in a rain storm. She screamed out in pleasure, tape still holding her lips firmly closed while she rocked against him with her hips. Slowly, the ecstasy ebbed away and her body relaxed as she sighed in her satisfied euphoria. He smiled down at her while he continued thrusting and lowered his mouth to her ear again.

"See, isn't that so much better?", she attempted to remain in character and struggle against him, but the overwhelming relaxation in her muscles proved it to be a rather difficult task, "You wanna do it again?"

She shook her head and attempted to create a look of terror in her eyes, but in all honesty, she didn't know if she could climax again. He pulled away from her and sat back on his heels before flipping her roughly over onto her stomach, shoving the pillow beneath her hips so they were elevated slightly from the bed. Her hands were pinned almost painfully under her chest and he leaned back over her to insert himself once again. Moaning in shock, her head shot up from the pillow and she thought she might faint from the pleasure. Something about the new angle had provided him with an advantage of some sort and one which she did not intend to protest against, game or no game.

"Feel that, Doc?", he asked, breathing onto the back of her neck, "that's you about to cum again."

He was correct. Whatever this genius had done was working with expert precision and she was soon screaming with her forehead planted into the mattress. As her body began to relax again, she felt him grab onto her hips and pull backward so they hovered over her knees with her head still resting on the bed.

"My turn", he insisted with an audible smile, "Feel free to sing along."

She thought for sure she would die as the third climax began to form at her core with his change in position. His movements were quick and hard, almost painful, but she was soon indeed singing along with his intense moaning and growling. He had been known to give her multiple orgasms, but never with this much ease. The man had been holding out on her, but she was much too satisfied to be angry for the time being.

"Fuck, Harley!" he cried out as he reached his peak, throwing her into her own again at the sound of her name. The tape was beginning to moisten between the small parts in her lips beneath, and her wrists were throbbing from the tight binding what was now rolling in on itself to create a tight rope-like bracelet.

When he was completely spent, he collapsed over her, forcing her to lay flat onto the bed, panting heavily. After a moment's rest, and with all the remaining strength she possessed, Harley pushed her arms into the bed and lifted herself and The Joker who still lay on across her back. He sat back and allowed her to move to the edge of the bed where she looked at him and held her wrists out to be cut free.

"Oh, I don't know", he teased, "I kinda' prefer you this quiet."

She rolled her eyes and muffled a profanity at him. He laughed, reaching into the pockets of his still-worn slacks to retrieve his switchblade and cut her bindings. She pulled them off and quickly removed the tape over her mouth with a shout before standing to scoop her pajama pants from the floor and pull them quickly over her legs while he lay back down on the sweaty bed. Noticing her walk toward the door he raised onto his elbows,

"Hey! Where you goin'?"

She turned back to him with a smile and walked to the bed, planting a quick kiss over his scar before turning back, "Thanks for the orgasms."

He snickered at her, "You're leavin' me here?"

"If the baby wakes up alone, she'll be scared."

"Well, I feel used and dirty", he smirked as he watched her blonde hair disappear through the door.

Harley jogged quickly back to their bedroom in the Cigar Lounge where she found Angel still breathing softly in her sleep, wrapped in the fluffy covers beneath the gentle glow of her nightlight, harlequin doll still firmly attached to her little arm. Her mother smiled and felt the intense emotion rise in her chest. She loved this little girl more than should could ever imagine loving another human being for the rest of her life, but of course, she would never tell The Joker that. It might hurt him too much.


	4. Solomon's Judgment

"Peek-a-boo!", Harley exclaimed, holding the harlequin doll in front of her face.

Angel giggled and reached for it, pulling it into her chest while her mother tickled her belly. Her laughter turned into a mouth-agape screech of joy and she attempted to turn and run in the opposite direction, small purple shoes pitter-pattering along the marble floors of the foyer. A pair of large, black, custom, leather shoes impeded her path and suddenly she was spun upside down to dangle from a single leg while she laughed joyfully in the air.

"Look at this, Joey, I caught me a heathen!", he father joked, poking a finger into her exposed tummy as her green dress laid over her face.

The harlequin doll fell to the floor and she could see her smiling mother approaching, appearing to walk along the ceiling in her overturned vision.

"Daddy, Princesses don't let their panties show", she scolded him playfully, reaching for the giggling child.

The cartoon lion named Scar began singing 'Be Prepared' on the television behind them and Angel's small rosy face lit up with excitement. Her mother placed her gently on the floor and she ran as fast as her chubby legs could carry her to the sitting area, clapping and giggling gleefully as she wiggled and danced along with the singing hyenas.

"Oh jeezus, not that song again", The Joker whined, plugging his ears.

Harley smiled, "She loves it so much."

"Yeah, but you'd think she'd get tired of it after a month, I know I have."

She smiled at him and he pulled his gun from his holster, walking over to the couch to have a seat where he began cleaning it. Angel made a clumsy turn in her awkward dance and noticed the shiny object in his hand, taking an interest and walking over to rest her small arms on his knees while she watched him rub a black cloth along its edges. She reached out a delicate index finger and pointed at it with a curious face and he chuckled at her, leaning forward to pick her up and place her on his lap.

"Like this, Little Princess", he coached her, holding his large hands over hers as she gripped the handle, "Bang-bang!"

"That had better not be loaded", her mother warned.

"What am I, stupid? No it's not loaded, she won't be ready for loaded guns for at least another year", he quipped with a wink and Harley rolled her eyes, "Isn't that right, Annie Oakley?" he asked the tiny blonde who turned her small face up to smile at him.

"Hey, Boss", Joey called from the security table, "Mr. Crane's at the back door with five men. Did he have an appointment with you?"

Harley and The Joker exchanged a glance before he answered, "No, he didn't. I told him we'd discuss things further next week."

"You invited him here?" Harley asked.

"No, we were suppose to meet somewhere else", he stood and handed Angel to Harley, "Put her in the bedroom and get your gun."

"I'm not just going to leave her in there by herself."

"Harley, I need you out here in case something fishy happens. She'll be fine."

"No, no, he needs to leave. He can wait until next week."

Her heart was thudding loudly in her chest as she clung to her daughter. Normally, she would have welcomed a good gun fight with a sufficient blood-lust capable of dispatching every man on the security monitor, but it wasn't something she wished her young child to witness. She would have to learn the harsh facts of their dark life soon enough, but for now, she wanted her to simply be a little girl. She had never trusted Jonathan Crane; not as a colleague or a patient, and certainly not as a business associate.

A faint pounding echoed in from the metal door behind the stage. One of the larger men was knocking with a clenched fist while Crane waited patiently behind them. Her boyfriend looked at her with serious eyes and she knew she could hide the fear in her own.

"Alright, get in there. I'll call you if we need you", he told her before walking to their room to retrieve bullets for his newly cleaned gun.

"Come on, Sweetie", she tried to coo with a calm voice, "Let's take dolly and go draw on the mirror with Daddy's makeup, hm?"

She closed the door behind them and listened intently while Angel spread red lipstick over the mirror in the bathroom. Her nerves began to calm slightly after a while, and she opened the canisters of white and black greasepaint to draw a stick-figure version of their happy family on the mirror with her fingertips. Just as she was beginning to feel that the danger had passed, a crack of gunfire erupted loudly from the foyer and the pair jumped. Angel cried out in fear and wrapped her arms around her mother's neck. More shots were fired and soon there was yelling and cussing. Harley closed the bathroom door and sat on the floor in front of it, squeezing her daughter to her chest and plugging her ears with her palms. Her heart broke when she heard the faint calling of her boyfriend's voice for her sure-fired aid, but she couldn't leave Angel alone and afraid in the bathroom. He called out for her again but was cut off by the sound of a bullet ricocheting off the wall outside their bedroom. With a gasp, she shot up from the floor and placed the child on the ground as she cried and reached for her.

"Mommy has to go help Daddy", she tried to explain, "I'll be right back, I…I promise."

Her words caught within the fear trapped in her throat and she was suddenly terrified at the idea of both of them being killed, only to leave Angel behind as an innocent victim to the men who where invading their home. The small fair girl continued to wail through large clear tears as she reached high for her mother.

"I'm so sorry!" she cried as she shut the bathroom door behind her, "I'm so sorry!"

She grabbed her loaded gun from the bedside table, chest aching at the sound of her child screaming for her from within the bathroom, and rushed toward the door to the foyer, cracking it only slightly to investigate the scene. The Joker was knife fighting with one of Crane's goons while Joey, Sean, and the other two henchmen on duty took down the other two surviving thugs. She pointed her gun and flung the door aside, stepping out a few feet.

"You need him alive?" she called to her boyfriend.

"No!"

She pulled the trigger and his skull cracked as the bullet flew through it. Pointing the gun at the next victim in line, she squeezed her finger over the trigger just as a hard object slammed into the back of her head, throwing her to her knees while she struggled to regain her sight.

"Harley, the baby!" she heard her boyfriend yell and her vision was miraculously refocused.

The hidden thug who had hit her was headed toward the screaming child behind the bathroom door and her mother spun around, releasing a bullet from her gun with expert precision to catch him directly through the temple. His body fell to the floor and she turned again to easily finish off the others with two quick shots.

"Where's Crane?" she panted.

"He got away, Ms. Quinn, we'll go after him", Joey insisted and she nodded shortly before disappearing back into the bedroom.

She had to pull the dead body of her recent victim aside in order to open the door and grab her screaming and frightened daughter from the floor. Her face was a crimson red, and the sound she was creating was horrifyingly heart-wrenching. Harley scooped her up quickly and she buried her crying face into her neck while she carried her from the room.

"Shhh, it's okay Baby, it's okay. Don't look, Honey, keep your eyes closed for Mommy", she soothed her, rushing toward the theater.

"She okay?", The Joker asked as she passed by him, "Where you goin'?"

"I don't want her to see the bodies. Get them cleaned up!"

"Baby, wait! We don't know if Crane left the building yet. He could still be lurking around somewhere!"

She halted and turned to stare at him with a terrified gaze, hand placed upon the back of her crying daughter's head, "What does he want?"

"Joker toxin."

"You aren't going to give it to him are you?"

"Uh, no, hence the shooting gallery in our living room", he responded sarcastically.

Angel's cries had decreased to small sobs, but her tiny fists still remained locked onto her mother's shirt.

"I want to go to Ivy's until he's caught", she whispered under her shaking breath.

Her boyfriend sighed and stood in thought for a moment before answering, "Yeah, alright. Get Sean to take you if he's not already gone, I need Joey with me."

She jogged to the back of the building and caught the henchmen loading into the Cadillac in the parking garage outside. Waving a hand in the air, she caught Sean's attention in the passenger seat and he stuck his head out the window.

"You're taking us to Ivy's", she told him and he quickly stepped out.

"Yes, Ma'am."

As the black Lexus traveled down the road, Harley sat in the back seat with her arms around Angel who was still shaking with post-sobbing hiccups. Hot tears fell from Harley's eyes and her own body began to shake quietly as she cried over her daughter, terrified by the millions of ways that the evening could have gone horribly wrong. She thought of the couple who had appeared on the GCNN over the last month, begging for their daughter's kidnappers to find it in their hearts to return her to them unharmed. She refused to watch the newscasts when they spoke, adamant that she was Angel's mother now and they would learn to accept it with time. Her heart belonged completely to this little girl, and she would surely perish without her.

"The fuck?", she heard Sean whisper to himself in the driver's seat, "Ms. Quinn, you'd better get down. I just seen The Bat flyin' overhead, and while I don't think he'd recognize this car, I don't know what kinds a'gadget doomo-flotchies he's got that could see through tinted windows."

"Shhhh! He might hear you", she commanded quietly through gritted teeth, but all too late.

The caped crusader had already touched down in their path a few feet ahead, and Sean was forced to throw on his brakes as a loose baterang flew into the windshield. Harley panicked when she saw his dark figure striding toward the car, and she opened the door to run down a dark alley with her daughter held tightly in her arms. She had just reached the end of the block when he dropped suddenly down in front of her, and Angel's small voice shrieked at the sight of him.

"I never pegged you for a kidnapper, Harley", he growled at her, stepping closer.

"Go away!" she screamed, turning to run in the other direction.

She felt hopelessly powerless against him with the small girl in her arms, and knew she couldn't fight him with her watching. A batclaw was released with a hiss behind her and her ankles were suddenly locked together beneath her. She twisted her body as they went crashing onto the pavement, landing on her shoulder to protect Angel from hitting the ground.

"You stupid vermin! You could have hurt her!", she yelled up at him as he hovered over them.

He reached down to grab the girl who was crying again and holding tightly onto Harley.

"Let her go", he wrestled against with her as the child screamed.

"You let go, she's mine! She's my daughter, I love her!"

"You don't have a heart to love with."

"Stop, please, YOU'RE SCARING HER!", Harley's eyes widened with pleading mercy up at him and his gaze met with her for an instant, releasing his grip on the toddler.

The seemingly heartless criminal closed her eyes and laid her head back to the pavement, wrapping her arms snuggly around the little girl lying against her chest. Large tears seeped from her eyes and she began shaking with agonizing cries. Batman watched her with brows furrowed beneath his armored mask, completely taken aback by her emotional reaction.

"I do…love her", she cried, "I love her…more than anything…in the whole world." She opened her moist eyes and looked up at him, "That's why…I have to give her back."


	5. Eternal Love

Peggy and Bob Jones sat through another quiet night at the dinner table, pushing their morsels around on their plates while they attempted to maintain their quickly fading hope that they would ever see their daughter again. They had attempted to connect with the kidnappers on multiple occasions through the media, offering them whatever they wanted in exchange for Baby Kim's safe return, but to no avail. The GCPD seemed to have given up on the search, and while Bob had slid into a deeply depressed drinking habit, Peggy fought every second with the undying faith that her little girl would soon come home. In an effort to break the deafening silence in the large, single-story, 1950's style suburban home, Peggy opened her mouth with a forced smile to discuss the prospects of her new entrepreneurship opportunity with the Avon Company. Her words were cut off by a gentle knock at the door and the couple glanced at one another in hesitation before rising from their seats. The news could be very good or very bad, but they were uncertain whether they were fully prepared for either.

Bob turned the knob slowly and yelped in shock when he noticed the small blonde toddler clinging to the neck of a short blonde woman on their front step. He was frozen where he stood, but Peggy leapt forward, shouting in joy as she took the child from Harley's arms, kissing her and crying loudly. Bob continued to stare at the strangely familiar woman, and she saw his expression change as the realization finally clicked in his mind.

"You're that clown girl! That harlequin woman who's in with The Joker! You took our daughter!", he shouted, pointing in her tear-streaked face.

"She likes 'The Lion King' and the color green", Harley said almost robotically, staring at the toddler who was now fully aware that she had been returned to a person who she equally adored.

"Peggy, go call the police!", Kim's father insisted, but Peggy was studying Harley's face.

"Her favorite lullaby is 'Earth Angel', and she's ticklish on her belly", the woman continued, tears dripping off her chin.

"Peggy!", her husband addressed her again, but she pushed gently past him to stand face-to-face with her daughter's kidnapper.

"She loves gumbo and spaghetti with meatballs, but she won't eat cheese", Harley whispered, body shaking slightly.

They're eyes were locked onto one another and they seemed to communicated telepathically, one mother to another while the furious and befuddled man stood by, shifting in his place with clenched fists. Kim turned to face Harley with a wide grin, and reached out a soft hand to run along her wet cheek while her biological mother watched in amazement. The blonde woman took the child's hand in hers and kissed it, sobbing loudly into it through aching breaths, and Peggy felt herself unexplainably sympathize with the stranger who had taken her daughter a month ago.

Harley looked up into the tiny girl's brown eyes as more tears poured from her blue ones, "I love you", she whispered, "I'll always love you."

She shut her eyes tightly again and turned to walk away, but an arm was suddenly wrapped tightly around her neck. She thought for a moment that the mother had decided to attack her, and rightfully so, but her lids lifted in surprise when the crying woman whispered softly to her,

"Thank you…thank you."

Harley released the breath she was holding as the arm slipped away from her and she stood for another moment, breathing heavily before stepping slowly away from the house and off into the darkness. Just down the dimly lit suburban sidewalk, Harley approached the black batmobile parked close to the deserted curb where the stoic vigilante stood waiting for her. Sniffing, she held her hands out in front of her and he cuffed them with much less force than was typical, and guided her into the caged back seat of the vehicle. As the car pulled down the road in the direction of Arkham Asylum, Harley began humming solemnly to herself behind Batman's head and he recognized it as the popular 1950's tune, 'Earth Angel'. He glanced back at her through his rearview mirror for second before refocusing on the dark road.

"There's a story in the Bible, about a judgment passed by a king named Solomon", he began in his gravelly voice, and she stopped humming to look up at in him the mirror, "Two women came to him, claiming to be the rightful mother of an infant boy and desired the king to decide who would keep him", he continued. She shut her eyes tight and fought the tears from escaping again. "Solomon decided that the baby should be divided in half, and each mother would be given a piece to keep," her lids shot open angrily at his remark, "The first woman, consumed in her jealousy, told the old king to follow through with his plan, but the other begged him to spare the child's life. Upon her request, the king decreed that the son truly belonged to the second woman, who would sacrifice her own happiness to see him live, even if it meant she could never see him again."

He heard her shudder through quiet sobs in the back seat and looked back up into the mirror to find her smiling with eyes closed, face soaked and glistening with salty tears. She continued crying for many miles, finally trailing off when they approached their destination. As they pulled onto the bridge toward Arkham Island, she whispered to him hoarsely from her seat,

"I have a heart."

His eyes remained focused on the moving road in front of his headlights and he paused for a long while before responding,

"I know."

**One Month Later**

"Princess", Harley heard The Joker whisper softly to her above the covers that were pulled tightly over her head.

She hadn't left the bed since he broke her out of Arkham over a week ago, and had scarcely eaten. The tears had ceased, however, perhaps she was entirely too dehydrated to cry and instead slept in her depressed coma or stared at the small harlequin doll for endless hours while her boyfriend observed her in concern.

"Sugar, you gotta eat something, anything", he pleaded with her and she sighed beneath the sheets, "I think it might help if you get up, take a hot shower, and eat a little bit." She didn't answer. "I'll watch the 'Lion King' with you", he continued to compromise, knowing how it made her smile to watch the prancing hyenas on the cartoon screen.

His weight shifted on the mattress next to her and she was suddenly aware of two, small, moving objects cruising around her legs above the covers.

"Holy shit!" her boyfriend exclaimed, "We've got rats! Big ones!"

Her head shot up from the covers in disgust, but it quickly faded when she noticed the clumsy furballs scampering around her legs. One of them jumped at her moving foot and bit it with his sharp teeth.

"Ouch!", she yelled, sitting up and it whined at her, "What…what are those things?"

The Joker was grinning keenly at her, "They're hyenas. Puppies. Two little brothers. I tried to get three, but this was all they had for now."

"They?"

"Illegal exotic animal traders", he explained casually, "These little runts came straight over from Africa."

The smaller one was venturing onto her lap with wobbling limbs while his brother continued to squeak and paw at her toes.

"That big boy there is Bud, and this little scamper is Lou", he said, rubbing the pup's fuzzy head beneath his fingertips, "They sure do need a good Mom to look after 'em."

Her head shot toward him angrily and he backed away slightly, "So what? I'm just suppose to fall in love with them and forget all about the daughter I lost?", she quoted him seriously.

"Now, Sweetness, I never said that", he attempted to calm her with his hands held in the air, "I just thought they might be a healthy little rehabilitative aid. Help you get back on your feet."

She sneered slightly and looked back down at her new pets. Bud was attempting to scratch his ear but fell over with each try, and Lou was now curled up on her warm lap, wide jaw opening to an incredibly large gap as he yawned sleepily.

She scanned their soft black fur while she began to scratch Lou on the back, "Where are they're spots?"

"They're just babies, they'll get 'em."

A small grin spread across her dry lips as Bud joined his brother on her lap and laid his small head over his stomach.

"They're suppose to be very affectionate little critters", her boyfriend smiled at her, "And when they get older, they really do laugh."

A quiet chuckle escaped her throat and she stroked them sweetly as they slept in her lap. They could never replace the love she had for Angel, but their presence had admittedly brought her back to life, and for that, she was lovingly grateful. The Joker released a relived sigh when he saw her smile again and kissed her softly on the cheek.

"Food?" he asked her hopefully and she nodded at him. He jumped happily up from the bed and started for the door, "Good! I'll bring it in here for you since the uh, _Babies_, are sleeping."

He winked at her before leaving the room and she looked down at her lap, running her fingers delicately through tufts of soft fur as the smile deepened on her face.

"Babies", she whispered.

**Epilogue**

**Kim Jones: Wynona Ryder**

Kim Boggs was an ordinary teenage high schooler who lived with her typical suburban family in the small area just outside Gotham City, but for her, tonight would be an extraordinary evening. It was the night of her sweet-sixteen birthday, an event that had been long awaited by the entire family and all of her friends and neighbors would be attending. Dressed to the nines in her extravagant green dress, she sat on her wavering waterbed to don her pretty purple shoes, stuffed animals rocking wildly against the rippling current. She took one last look in the mirror and bushed the ends of her long blonde hair before applying a tiny amount of mascara to the lashes of her big brown eyes. The excitement was palpable in the air, and her family members bustled about the house in preparation for the arrival of their guests.

"Oh! Kim, Honey, go and fetch the mail for me, please! I forgot to grab it earlier and I'm sure there must be some cards waiting in there for you", her mother called from the kitchen and walked to the door to retrieve the cards that she secretly hoped would contain plenty of sweet-sixteen birthday cash.

**['Ice Dance' by Danny Elfman]**

As she opened the front door, the cool night air of spring drifted through her long fair strands, carrying a faint scent of flowers on its current. She skipped pleasantly to the end of the driveway and stood at the mailbox on the quiet street of her safe little neighborhood, pulling open the small door to dig for card-shaped letters inside. A shadow caught the attention of her peripheral vision and she turned her head to find a short blonde woman grinning at her from beneath a black cloak on the opposite side of the empty street. Her intense blue eyes shined out from the dark hood of her shroud and seemed to pierce right through the young girl who stood staring back, mesmerized. Those eyes; she had seen them before so many times in her life. They were there in the audience at her first ballet recital when she was five, and again at her school Christmas play when she was eight. They watched from the crowd as she made her first public backhand spring from the balance beam when she was ten, and glistened with silent tears while she sang her favorite song 'Earth Angel' at the town's talent show when she was thirteen. Yes, she knew those eyes. Those kind and adoring clear crystal orbs that seemed to scream out 'I love you' at their very sight, she knew them very well.

The woman smiled at her and opened the layers of her cloak to reveal a small purple box tied with a green ribbon, placing it gently on the sidewalk at her feet. This was the closest Kim had ever been to the stranger whose eyes had followed her through every major event of her life, and she was almost suddenly too shy to speak as the woman bowed into a low curtsey, as if addressing a princess, and turned to walk away.

"Wait!", the young girl called after her, purple shoes clacking the pavement as she crossed the street. The cloaked figure turned to face her and she was at a loss for words as they stared into one another's eyes.

"Excuse me, but, do I…don't I know you…from somewhere?" she finally asked her.

The blue eyes filled with tears and a gentle hand stroked Kim's cheek as she whispered back to her, "Happy Birthday, Angel."

"Kim!", her mother called from the doorway of their home and she turned her head to look at her, "What are you doing, Dear?"

The teen wasn't sure what to say and glanced back up toward the strange woman who had just caressed her face, but she had completely vanished. She turned in circles, looking for a sign as to where she could have possibly fled to, but the neighborhood was silent and undisturbed. The box still rested upon the ground behind her and she approached it slowly, picking it up to pull the silk ribbon from its bow and open the top. She reached inside and pulled out its contents: a small, antique-looking harlequin doll with painted red lips and a black mask over the pale skin around its tiny blue eyes. The costume was a tight black and red leotard with embroidered diamonds on the leg and shoulder, and a white ruffled cowl around the neck. A small golden jingle bell was attached to the end of each side of the black and red jester-style hat which sat atop its head, and a small winding key was imbedded into its back. As she finished turning it, a twinkling music box from within played the tune 'Earth Angel' and Kim felt her eyes unexplainably swell with tears.

"Kim, come on in, Honey, the guests will be here soon", her mother called and she wiped the tear that escaped down her cheek.

She glanced around again while she crossed the street slowly, returning to her ordinary suburban home in her typical teenage life. She wondered if she would ever discover who the strange woman with the loving blue eyes was or why she had chosen to remain constant in her dull life, but whoever she was, it was clear that she loved her.

Very much.

* * *

**A mother's love is eternal; it is unresting, undying, and unfading; and it has no limits to what it can do.**

**Dedicated to mothers everywhere.**


End file.
